Where One's Path Leads

[Gillian Rel]

Gil had arrived home earlier in the day. He could have gone to his apartment or straight to the towering skyscraper that served as BiT's headquarters, but he found himself walking around the city and stopping along a rail looking over the water. He had come here once with Tasha, after what he had considered their first date. It had been a stupid thing, but Gil remembered almost every detail of the day.

Not all the memories were warm, but he was fond of all of them. He couldn't help but smile as he looked over the water. He absently ran a thumb over the pape as he looked up at the glistening tower in the late afternoon sun.

He had hated his promotion to Vice President when he had received it years ago, but he had grown into the position, it had become a part of him. He was good at it, but it started to feel empty. It happened slowly until it had finally led him here, looking up to the top floors of the tower from just outside the door. He had never gotten over how tall the building was.

The turbo-lift was one he had made hundreds of thousands of times. The similar generic tone played lazily as he ascended higher and higher. He hadn't been here in a couple of months. He had been out across the Galaxy negotiating a significant weapons deal, but he had also spent time with Arda and her group of rebels.

Gil finally reached the top floor and her office. His suit and tie were gone today, he wore fairly regular clothes that made him look more smuggler than vice president.

He stepped inside and let out a whistle. "You know, I was always jealous of the view from your office," he said looking out of the water, the sun just touching the horizon.

"It's good to see you Tasha." he said warmly, wearing the stupid grin he always did.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha seldom saw anyone in her office that she didn’t know about at least a week in advance. She was an extremely busy woman nowadays, and people had a very difficult time getting on her calendar. BIT had reached out far and wide into the galaxy, satellite offices springing up in every corner.

She glanced up in surprise as the door abruptly opened. Normally not even her executive assistant did that. However, when she saw who it was, Tasha wasn’t the least bit surprised. She couldn’t help but smile, Gil one of the very few in the galaxy that could invoke a real one.

Tasha’s gaze roamed up and down to take in his attire. She glanced down as she shuffled some papers away, “Let me guess, you want to hand in your resignation,” It was no secret to her that he wasn’t too thrilled about the position, but he had been indecisive in the past about what he wanted to do as well.

After she put the papers away, Tasha rose from her seat and walked over to him. She was always in a business suit nowadays, with a skirt and high heels and expensive jewelry. That stupid grin of his always disarmed her, and it did the same now. Tasha quirked an eyebrow suspiciously as always, “Why do you look so giddy?”

 

[Gillian Rel]

She was busy. She was always busy. It was one of the few reasons the company had risen to the heights it had. She hadn't noticed him until he was well within the room. He had snuck past her assistant so she hadn't been given the opportunity to try and stop him, even if it wouldn't have worked. Gil had worked too hard to be beaten by an assistant.

He shrugged at her question. "If I was, you would have totally just ruined the moment," he said playfully. "You miss out on all the build-up if you just cut to the chase," he said cheerfully. Tasha had always been a no-nonsense type of person. It was just how she was, and Gil expected she didn't quite understand why anyone else would be different.

As she stood, he took a step towards her to meet halfway. With her heels, they were about the same height. He met the cool yellow gaze and lowed his voice. "Becuase I know it annoys you, and that is one of the few passions I have left in this Galaxy," he said, grin widening as he finished.

He then walked past her and towards the balcony attached to her office. As he walked away he pulled a small bottle out and held up in the air. "At least I brought booze..." he said. It was definitely not high dollar stuff they could afford. He had found it off some backwater farmer in some place or another.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha rolled her eyes, “You know how much I hate build up and surprises,” She grumbled quietly. Their personalities were polar opposites in many ways, and she had found it oddly endearing over the years. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer, thinking about where they began and where they were today. They had been by each other’s side through some serious ups and downs, and he was one of the few that still knew her from her very seedy past.

He was also one of the few that knew she had been Sith, and he had been witness to how she had given up that part of her almost entirely for years now. Tasha watched him walk over and pull out a bottle, and she had to grin. Her office was filled with top shelf liquor, and she had no doubt his choice was from some shady street corner.

Tasha brought out two glasses so he could pour it for them. As she reached for them, he would notice that infuriating purse she always obsessed over. It looked worn now, and it was the only thing out of place compared to everything else expensive lining the office and her person. Tasha turned to him with the glasses, sighing.

“So what’ll you do now?” She asked again for what felt like the fiftieth time. She always worried he would simply float away one day and wander off. Despite all their time together, Tasha still sometimes had a tough time vocalizing how she felt about him.

 

[Gillian Rel]

He turned and faced her, back against the rail. "You know you say that..." he said pausing to laugh "...and yet most of life has been filled with them...why not just embrace them." he finished taking the glasses and pouring liquid into one before handing it back to Tasha and pouring some for himself.

He took a sip from the glass, a bit of a frown touching his lips. He was quite used to her having little patience with his games, but it still didn't make it any less disappointing. He turned and rested his arms over the railing. "Who knows," he said with a bit of a sigh. "What do you do when you don't really need to make credits anymore," he said with a shrug. Most of his life, until he had joined the company with Tasha, had been spent looking to make enough credits just to survive.

He grew quiet for a few seconds, taking another drink as he looked out over the skyline. "You could come with me, you know," he said. "..You've already conquered the Galaxy. Maybe its time to get spend this ridiculous amount of credits," he said. He didn't honestly think she would even give the invitation a second thought, but he was quite sincere.

"What would be the first thing you would do?" he said, looking over at here. "..If you didn't have.." he said gesturing towards the building "..all of this." he said with a raised eyebrow.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha took a sip, feeling the burn as it went down her throat. It was definitely not the high class top shelf stuff she was used to, and she was glad for it. As he spoke, her gaze drifted off slightly - what did someone do with more credits than they knew what to do with? In her mind, all the credits were going somewhere, and she didn’t exactly have giant stockpiles of it sitting around idle.

“Go with you where?” She asked, amusement in her voice. He was always a dreamer in many ways, and he never stuck to the same thing for long. Like her, he had some very humble beginnings, and now he grew uncomfortable in the new place he had taken. Tasha followed his gaze and looked out over the skyline. The thought of running away somewhere and living a quiet life sounded appealing in many ways. She would have her garden and silence without anyone pestering her, and certainly no meetings.

“Maybe I’d buy a backwater paradise planet,” She said with a grin, “Oceans and mountains and the entire thing to myself. I’d have a full half of it just for me and then build up some resorts on the side,” Tasha shrugged, wondering how much credit she’d need to pull off a move like that.

She turned to look at him, taking another sip from her drink, “I want to ensure that the legacy we’ve built here continues. We built this company from the ground up, and I want to make sure it stays long after we’re gone,” Tasha couldn’t help but think of the ancient Sith and how their legacy continued even now. Could that be achieved with a company?

“I can’t entirely abandon BIT just now,” Tasha sighed, “As much as I want to run away with you,” She smiled slightly, surprised at herself for even admitting that much. Tasha glanced down at her drink and swirled it around, “I can understand if none of this is for you and you want to go far away. I won’t stop you, regardless of how I may feel,” She met his gaze again, “I just want you to be happy, Gil. You’re the only one in this galaxy I give a damn about at the end of the day.”

 

[Gillian Rel]

There was a twinkle in his eyes at her question. "Whereever" he finally spoke. "Everywhere." he quickly added. There was something exciting about being free from it all. So much of his life had been chasing a little bit more influence, another day of survival.

He gave her a moment to think of her answer and smiled as she began to speak. "What if I told you we could go to that place right now. You could have an entire moon to yourself if you wanted," he said lifting the glass to his mouth again. "Its all out there," he said turning his head to the sky. "You just have to go get it," he said.

He didn't expect her to pack up everything and leave, but it did sadden him somewhat as she returned the conversation back down to earth. "Blackwell would survive without you." he said quietly. "..Or it wouldn't," he said with a bit of a shrug. "In the grand scheme of things none of it really matters," he said. He may be a dreamer but he also had been burned too many times by the Galaxy to have a healthy dose of cynasism.

"No one cares about the people who build legacies after their gone," he said. "Just about how that legacy can benefit them during the short life they have," he said.

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Don't spend your entire life for people who don't give a flying kriff about you."

 

[Gillian Rel]

Things grew quiet, the wind whipping over the highrise balcony the only thing that broke the silence. This is how things were with Tasha, and Gil was fine with that. He had long been used to the period of silence during their time together. There was an appeal to not having to say anything, letting your presence be enough.

He let himself linger in it for a moment longer, half-convinced if he didn't leave now he likely never would. "Well, I'll let you get back to work," he said, a smile touching the corner of his lips.

Gil turned towards her, looking into her endlessly yellow eyes. His voice grew quiet. "Take care of yourself, Tasha," he said leaning forward and lightly kissing her on the forehead before taking several steps backwards towards the door. His dorky grin returned a second later. "If you ever need you a hero, you know where to find me," he said as he pointed upwards towards the sky. He let out a chuckle, if she wouldn't laugh at his joke, at least he could.

With that, he turned and exited the office. He smiled and winked at the familiar secretary as he passed. He had known that woman for just as long as Tasha, they had all come lightyears from where they had been that night in the abandoned warehouse. "Make sure she stays out of trouble!" he said pointing back towards Tasha's office. The woman was confused by the statement before finally saying she would as he reached the turbolift.

Moments later, he was back on the ground, walking away from the building, likely for the last time. He had learned so much from Tasha, but one of those that stuck with him the most was to never look back. Gil would have liked to have been the person to do that, but he looked back anyways and up towards the top floor where Tasha's office would be. He wouldn't have been able to see anything even if there was anything to see, but Gil assumed Tasha would already be back at her desk working as always. That thought brought a smile to his face.

Shoving his hands down into his jacket pockets he turned and walked away, fading into the Galaxy and wherever it took him.